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      Coming soon to a bookstore near you: ‘Srivijaya’ b Coming soon to a bookstore near you: ‘Srivijaya’ by Herald van der Linde.Long before Majapahit rose to greatness, Srivijaya controlled the sea routes between India and China. Discover Srivijaya, Indonesia’s first maritime empire.Every ship that passed through the Strait of Malacca added to Srivijaya’s wealth, funding magnificent temples, nurturing great centres of Buddhist learning and giving rise to Borobudur, the largest Buddhist monument ever built.Journey through a vibrant world of Chinese monks, Arab sailors, Tamil merchants, pirates, warrior-kings and brilliant princesses. Explore the thriving ports of Sumatra and Kedah, walk the volcanic landscapes of Java and visit the royal courts where diplomacy, marriage and war shaped the destiny of Indonesia. Then witness the dramatic arrival of the mighty Chola empire from southern India, whose devastating naval raids brought Srivijaya’s golden age to an end.Blending meticulous research with vivid storytelling, Herald van der Linde brings to life one of history’s greatest – and least understood – maritime empires.Pre-order your copy now from Periplus in Indonesia and leading bookshops worldwide.#indonesianhistory #indonesia #monsoonbooks #history #sumatra
      Congratulations to Jennifer Lindsay for a brillian Congratulations to Jennifer Lindsay for a brilliant review of her novel, ‘The Editor’, in @asianreviewofbooks‘If The Editor is partly about a widow using her late husband’s life as a path to finding out about her own,’ writes Rosie Milne in her review of Jennifer Lindsay’s The Editor in Asian Review of Books, ‘it is also an exploration of questions about who gets to make history and why, and about the relationships between biography, fiction and truth.’London, July 1826: Lady Sophia Raffles is left widowed and in debt after the sudden death of her husband, Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles, later remembered as the ‘founder of Singapore’. Determined to restore his name after he is cleared of the East India Company’s charges, Sophia takes on the formidable challenge of compiling an account of his life. Her Memoir of the Life and Public Service of Sir Thomas Stamford Raffles is published to critical acclaim in 1830.‘Overall, it is a moving tribute to a courageous woman,’ concludes Milne in Asian Review of Books, ‘whose life counted not only to the husband whose fame she guaranteed, to herself, and to their children, but also to historians of the British Empire, and to all those interested in women’s roles in shaping male historical narratives.’See the full review at Asian Review of Books.Available from leading bookstores worldwide.#historicalfiction #thomasstamfordraffles #monsoonbooks #theeditor
      Wonderful news from Singapore. We’re delighted th Wonderful news from Singapore.We’re delighted that “Run, My Daughters, Run” by Lee Su Kim has entered The Straits Times Fiction Bestseller List at No. 5.It’s especially gratifying to see a Peranakan novel embraced by so many readers. Thank you to everyone who has supported the book.Congratulations, Lee Su Kim!A Nyonya daughter’s fight to survive the Japanese occupation of Malaya.Set against the harrowing backdrop of the Japanese occupation of Malaya, Run, My Daughters, Run follows the Lee family, a Straits Chinese household in Kuala Lumpur, as they struggle to survive a brutal and bewildering new reality. At the heart of the story is Pei Lin, a bright, bookish 17-year-old, whose aspirations for education and independence are upended by war, hunger and fear.Told in rich, evocative prose, the novel alternates between Pei Lin’s perspective and that of her mother, Kim Neo, a strong-willed Nyonya matriarch haunted by a painful secret. As the family navigates raids, curfews, betrayal and starvation, they must also confront the disintegration of colonial certainties and the fragility of family bonds under occupation.A powerful tale of endurance, womanhood and the unbreakable spirit of a family caught in the crosswinds of history.#runmydaughtersrun #monsoonbooks #malaysianauthor #peranakan
      📣 The day the tanks came for my parents. A powerf 📣 The day the tanks came for my parents.A powerful review by John Kampfner in “The New World” magazine describes “My Neighbour, The Dictator” as “a captivating memoir” that “shines a fresh light on the banality of evil.”Part coming-of-age story, part eyewitness history, Tari Lang’s book is a deeply personal account of courage, family and survival under dictatorship in 1960s Indonesia, reminding us how easily authoritarianism can become everyday life. Read the full article at @thenewworld_magazine📖 My Neighbour, The Dictator is published by Monsoon Books.#MyNeighbourTheDictator #TariLang #Indonesia #History #memoir
      Reposted with @reshare_app • @tari_lang I love ind Reposted with @reshare_app • @tari_lang I love independent bookshops. Shoutout to the fabulous @rarebirdsbooks and @toppingsedin with booksellers who are welcoming, helpful beyond the call, and obviously just love books. Lively and fun places to visit. Also love people posting pictures of my book in its natural habitat. With coffee, with gin, with cake. It’s all about having the best environment to read. #myneighbourthedictator @monsoonbooks #bookstagram
      Reposted with @reshare_app • @tari_lang Lovely s Reposted with @reshare_app • @tari_langLovely shoutout last night from the Director of Edinburgh International Book Festival Jenny Niven at the 2026 programme launch event. And what a great launch party, bravo! Made me feel all warm inside at being mentioned in the same breath as the inspirational Brenda Hale, who as President of the Supreme Court delivered the 2019 judgement that Boris Johnson’s advice to the late Queen to prorogue Parliament was unlawful. Respect. So who cares the AI subtitling called me Terry #myneighbourthedictator #memoir @edbookfest #monsoonbooks
      Reposted with @reshare_app • Great to see three of Reposted with @reshare_app • Great to see three of @fathiah.abdussamad ‘s ten current reads on Indonesia are Monsoon titles. Proud to be in such good company.Sharing some of my current reads to all who DMed and asked for recommendations but of course all of them are still half way through. I bought this based on what i am researching on and I read them according to my mood and my needs actually. It has been a joy so far. Some are newly bought.1. A brief history of Indonesia by Tim Hannigan. Bought in London, @dauntbooks2. Mengislamkan Jawa by M.C Ricklefs. Bought in Surabaya, @tokobukuuranus3. Java Facts and Fancies by Augusta De Wit. Bought in Surabaya. Toko buku Uranus.4. Kepurbakalan Islam Nusantara by K.H Fahmi Basya. Surabaya, Toko buku Uranus.5. Mataram by Tony Reid. Recently bought in KL. From @gerakbudaya6. Atlas Wali Songo by Agus Sunyoto. Bought from ShopeeMalaysia. (I need this for my essay)7. Majapahit by Herald Van Der Linde. Shopee Malaysia. This is another book i refer to re-check on my essay.8. Islam Jawa by Mark. R. Woodward. Recently bought from @nurulanwarbookstore9. Hitam Putih T. Stamford Raffles di Tanah Jawa by Yulian Harsono from @nurulanwarbookstore10. Bandits Saint of Java by George Quinn from @wardahbooks . Saw @hudaramli ‘s ig stories on this and immediately placed an order.
      Reposted with Reshare @reshare_app • @tari_lang Reposted with Reshare @reshare_app • @tari_langSo enjoyed my event at Toppings bookshop, hosted by the lovely Rawan. It was a full house and I think @toppingsedin now has to do another stock order of My Neighbour, The Dictator. So grateful for the engaged audience who could have easily been basking in the Edinburgh sunshine instead of talking about a book. #bookstagram #myneighbourthedictator @monsoonbooks memoir PS reprint will be delivered in a week, so those of you have been waiting for your copy, it will be coming soon!
      Reposted with Reshare. Get @reshare_app • @ta.mort Reposted with Reshare. Get @reshare_app • @ta.morton Apparently being impersonated by a Zadie Smith bot counts as a career milestone. I’m in The Times today talking about AI-powered scams targeting writers and why the constant vigilance is, frankly, exhausting.
      Reposted with Reshare … Get @reshare_app • @jatihi Reposted with Reshare … Get @reshare_app • @jatihidayat I’m reading the new Buruma book now and also planning to read Tari Lang’s memoir soon after.Both books share a common theme. How every day people adapt to and behave in extraordinary political situations: especially those which are violent,unjust and downright evil.Buruma opens his story with a narrative about his father, a Dutch national who was forced to work in a factory in Berlin during World War II. He was captured when tried to resist the Nazis back in the Netherlands.But the book tells the story of people beyond the elder Buruma. It tries to describe and illustrate what was life like in that city under Hitler and during the War, including how Berliners coped with the repression and of course, with the prosecution of the Jewish minority. I’m on chapter 3 and so far Buruma tells a haunting story.Tari Lang is the daughter of political prisoner Carmel Budiarjo, an English woman who was married to a Javanese man. Both were committed leftist activists in the Sukarno era and hence were part of the establishment. They lived in Menteng, Jakarta’s elite area then and now. Their world crashed in 1965 after the Indonesian Army took over power and those deemed sympathetic toward the Indonesian Communists Party were purged. Many were butchered and sent to long periods of prison without trial. Tari and her parents lived in the same area with the Army leaders including General Suharto, who became Indonesia’s dictator for 32 years. #myneighbourthedictator
      Get @reshare_app • @lewajakarta Ibu Tari Lang and Get @reshare_app • @lewajakarta Ibu Tari Lang and I planned to meet in Jakarta last year. Alas, an event that I was supposed to attend was cancelled because of the riots. I have yet to start reading her book but I am sure it gives an invaluable insight of what happened to millions of Indonesians during one of Indonesia’s darkest chapters in 1965-1966. Tari is the daughter of Carmel Budiardjo. I read her book “Surviving Indonesia’s Gulag” when I spent a few months in London on a Reuters training course in the mid-1990s. I was stunned by the cruelty committed by Suharto’s New Order Regime. The story needs to be told again and again, so we won’t forget! Jakarta, May 2026
      📣’My Neighbour, The Dictator’ by Tari Lang is out 📣’My Neighbour, The Dictator’ by Tari Lang is out today and available from all leading bookstores. Grab your copy now! 🎉🥳📚Indonesia, 1965. As General Suharto seizes power and the streets of Jakarta run with fear, 14-year-old Tari Budiardjo’s life is torn apart. Her Javanese father and British mother – intellectuals and civil servants-turned-radicals in Sukarno’s government – are imprisoned without trial, leaving her to navigate adolescence in a city of soldiers, informers and whispered betrayals. Between crushes, curfews and secret errands for the resistance, Tari finds herself caught between childhood and revolution. ‘My Neighbour, The Dictator’ is both an intimate memoir and a rare witness to Indonesia’s most turbulent years – a story of family, love and survival in the shadow of tyranny.#monsoonbooks #indonesianreads #indonesianauthors #bookstagram #myneighbourthedictator
      Get @reshare_app • @rosegan Thanks to all at FOMMM Get @reshare_app • @rosegan Thanks to all at FOMMML for a wonderful reception at their prestigious Monday Morning lecture series at the Asian Civilisations Museum. We had quite a crowd in their impressive Ngee Ann auditorium. Especial thanks to Sonam and Ramya of FOM for all their support and hard work and the welcome ladies for making the morning run so smoothly!
      Get @reshare_app • @gnolbo “The Dog Meows, the Cat Get @reshare_app • @gnolbo “The Dog Meows, the Cat Barks” terbitan Monsoon sudah terlihat penampakannya di Periplus.
      Pre-order now from all leading bookstores. (Availa Pre-order now from all leading bookstores. (Available 1 May 2026.)Indonesia, 1965. As General Suharto seizes power and the streets of Jakarta run with fear, 14-year-old Tari Budiardjo’s life is torn apart. Her Javanese father and British mother – intellectuals and civil servants-turned-radicals in Sukarno’s government – are imprisoned without trial, leaving her to navigate adolescence in a city of soldiers, informers and whispered betrayals. Between crushes, curfews and secret errands for the resistance, Tari finds herself caught between childhood and revolution. My Neighbour, The Dictator is both an intimate memoir and a rare witness to Indonesia’s most turbulent years – a story of family, love and survival in the shadow of tyranny.#monsoonbooks #indonesianreads #indonesianauthors #bookstagram #myneighbourthedictator
      Join author John Donnelly at 2pm, 13 May, in Braid Join author John Donnelly at 2pm, 13 May, in Braidwood Library, as he speaks about his latest book, a dark and captivating story of resilience, betrayal, and hope. In Blitar Magic Garage, a gripping tale set in Indonesia, Munin, a former political prisoner, runs a humble garage in Setiabudi, a precarious settlement in central Jakarta where magic mingles with mechanics. As redevelopment looms, the fragile peace of the community is shattered, and Munin, alongside his neighbours, must face a tangled web of corruption, greed, and political schemes. Struggling to protect their kampung from developers and the army, alliances are tested and dreams clash with stark realities. With spirit warnings hinting at impending danger, Munin must uncover whether the true threat lies in land clearances or something far more sinister.
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